Container for perishable liquids



May 21, 1940. ESTY 2,201,524

CONTAINER FOR PERISHABLE LIQUIDS Filed larch 7, 1939 H56 1 B 910" 12514 l5 [6 I1 I 13 mil 2215745121! AZFEED hf 57K INVENTOR,

A T T ORNE Y5.

Patented May 21, 1940 l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONTAINER FOR PERISHABLE mourns Alfred B. Esty, Santa Cruz, Calif. Application March 7, 1939, Serial No. 260,358

8 Claims. (01. 40-2) T k This invention relates to containers for perishable liquids, such as evaporated or condensed milk and the like, and pertains particularly to a container construction which is adapted to be opened for dispensing of the contents by puncturing the container wall, as at the top of the container, and provided with date indicia or characters significant of successive days, whereby the user may puncture the container at .or

10 adjacent the proper character and thus preserve a record of the opening date which is available for inspection each time the container is used.

One of the particular objects of the invention is to providea container of the character described, which. may be produced at but aslight increase in cost over. the conventional type of container, and which will provide the user with a date record whereby the age of an opened con-v tainer will constantly be available for inspection.

A further object of the invention is to provide a container of the character described, provided with a plurality of date-indicative characters disposed adjacent the rim of the top wall of a container structure adapted to hold abody of liquid, in which the top wall of the container is provided witha plurality of indentations placed in cooperative arrangement with respect to said characters and adapted to facilitate the puncturing of the top wall to prepare the container for dispensing of the liquid contents, said indentations being so placed with respect to said dateindicative characters that when a particular indentation is punctured through in the containeropening operation, an indication of the date on which said operation took place is apparent to the user.

The container of the present invention com-. prises, essentially, a metallic can-shaped member provided with side walls which are 40 usually cylindrical, and substantially fiat top and bottom walls, the top wall being provided with a series of characters indicative of successive days, either as numerals indicating the days of the month or letters indicating the days will be apparent therefrom. Such embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and referring thereto:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of the invention, provided f with numerals indica- 5 tive of successive days of the month;

Fig. 2 is a corresponding view of a modified form of the invention, provided with letters indicative of successive days in the week;

Figs. 3 and. 4 are plan and side elevations, re 10* spectively, of a further modification of the in vention, wherein the date-indicative characters are arranged on the side wall portions of the container, with cooperatively-arranged symbols carrying the indication from the side walls onto.

the top wall of the container;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a still further modification of the invention, providing characters indicative of the successive days in the month arranged in analternative spaced relation; and 20 Fig. 6 is a detail view in enlarged scale perspective, showing the provision of date-indicative characters formed by stamping.

Referring to the drawing, the container shown at I in Fig. 1 is provided with a top wall 2 pro- 2 vided with a plurality of numerals 3 spaced about the peripheral edge of thetop wall 2, preferably extending throughout not more than in this particular form of the invention. Spaced outwardly from the respective numerals 3, I 3

preferably also provide a plurality of puncturelocating marks 4, preferably such as depressions or indentations, to facilitate the puncturing of the. y can at an indicative position adjacent the numerals (a suitable shape for such indentations being more fully illustrated in Fig. 6). The device of the present invention may be utilized as follows: The user may puncture the can at a depression 4 adjacent the numeral representing the day of the month on which the can is opened, for example at the numeral l6, as indicated by the dotted circle 4', and in view of the common practice of puncturing the can-at two positions roughly diametrically opposite one another,

to facilitate dispensing of the fluid; contents, I 5

provide also a series of puncture-locating marks or indentations 4 diametrically opposite the series of numerals 3, and the user may thus puncture one of the series 4 as at 4". At any time subsequent to. the opening of the can by punc- 5b turing as above, the user may determine the age of the contents at a glance, whereforeshould the user have more than one can open at a time, he will be able to select the older or fresher liquid for a particular use. 56'

In the form illustrated in Fig. 2, I have provided a series of characters 6 significant of the days of the week, such as S, M, etc., arranged arcuately adjacent the periphery of the top wall 1 of a container 8, suitable outwardly spaced puncture-locating marks 9 being provided, such as depressions or indentations comparable to the marks 4 above, as well as marks ll corresponding to the marks 6* above. The manner of use of this form of the invention is entirely comparable to that of the form shown in Fig. l, as will be apparent, having in mind the fact that the date-indicative characters are arranged on a weekly basis, instead of on a monthly basis as in Fig. 1.

The form of device illustated in Figs. 3 and i is entirely comparable to the above forms, with the exception that the date-indicative characters are arranged in part on the upper edge of the side wall ll! of the container l3, as at M, and in part upon the top wall l5, as at iii. The part of the characters provided on the side wall may comprise the numerals, or letters, having the necessary significance of successive days, and the part of the characters on the top wall may comprise lead-lines or the like which preferably extend substantially radially inwardly from the periphery of the top wall, in alinement with the respective numerals or letters. Suitable puncture-locating marks or indentations I'l (corresponding to the marks 4 and 9 above) may be provided adjacent the inner ends of the leadlines I6, and a series of marks l8 may be provided at the opposite peripheral edge of the top wall, corresponding to the marks 4 and H above. The manner of use of this form of the device is comparable to that described in connection with Fig. 1.

The form of device shown in Fig. 5 is particularly adapted to small cans (such as the 6 oz. evaporated milk size, for example) wherein greater circumferential spacing of the date-indicative characters is provided. In this form of container, the date-indicative characters 2| are distributed throughout substantially 360 of the periphery of the top wall 22 of the container 23, spaced radially inwardly from the periphery if desired, to provide a substantially unobstructed outer peripheral area which may receive the punctures necessary to open the container for use. Suitable lead-lines or thelike, as shown at 24, may be provided, if desired, extending substantially radially outwardly and terminating in arrowheads 25 or other suitable marks of accentuation, at which point the desired puncture 'or perforation may be made, to open the container for use. In this connection the arrowheads 25 may be indented, as by stamping, or any other suitable puncture-locating indentations may be provided adjacent the outer ends of the leadlines 24. The customary oppositely-disposed puncture may be made intermediate two of the arrowheads 25, as at 26, opposite the main puncture indicated at 21, for example, and suitable puncture-locating indentations may be provided at these positions. The date-indicative characters may be placed about the periphery of the top wall in such spacing as to cause a position 26 always to fall diametrically opposite a position 21, if desired.

I may form the characters by printing, either directly upon the container or on a label which is cemented or otherwise secured to the can, or, as shown in Fig. 6, the date-indicative characters may be impressed in the wall portion of the container by stamping, wherein a definite and permanent record mark is provided. In the showing in Fig. 6, the can side wall is indicated at 3|, the can top wall at 32, and the characters significant of successive days (constituting numerals) at 33.

It will be appreciated that the container may be opened by puncturing the same at the position of the date-indicating character, if desired, as indicated by the dotted circle 36, in which case the use of stamped (indented or sunken) numerals or letters will be found advantageous. When the letters or numerals are so formed, the characters themselves constitute puncture-locating marks, and the provision of auxiliary puncture- Iocating marks adjacent the characters is unnecessary.

In containers which are adapted to be opened for dispensing of the contents by puncturing the top wall, it is customary to form the top wall of deformable metal in order to permitsuch puncturing. ,The present invention is particularly concerned with containers in which the puncturing operation is performed at a position on the top wall adjacent the periphery thereof. In each of the forms shown, therefore, at least a portion of the top Wall adjacent the periphery thereof is deformable, and the date-indicating characters are provided within an area at and adjacent this peripheral deformable wall portion, whereby the container may be opened by puncturing this wall portion within an area at and adjacent any desired one of said characters. The opening may be made by puncturing either at a position near the desired date-indicating character but actually separated therefrom as illustrated for example at 4 in Fig. l or at 35 in Fig. 6, or at the position of the desired dateindicating character as illustrated at 36 in Fig. 6.

Other modifications of the structure may occur to those skilled in the art, and I do not choose to be limited to the actual embodiments herein shown, but rather to the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. A container for perishable liquids such as evaporated milk and the like, which comprises: a metallic container having top, bottom and side walls, said top wall having a deformable wall portion adjacent the periphery thereof adapted to be punctured for the withdrawal of the liquid contents; and a plurality of characters circumferentially spaced adjacent the periphery of the top wall, said characters being significant of successive days, whereby an indication of the day upon which said container is opened is produced upon opening the container by puncturing said wall portion at a point within an area at and'adjacent the correct day character.

2. A container as set forth in claim 1, said characters being located at said deformable wall portion and being formed as indentations in said wall portion, to facilitate the placement of a puncturing tool for the opening of said container.

3. A container for perishable liquids such as evaporated milk and the like, which comprises: a metallic container having top, bottom and side walls, said top wall having a deformable wall portion adjacent the periphery thereof adapted to be punctured for withdrawal of the liquid contents; a group of circumferentially spaced indentations formed in said wall portion; and a plurality of spaced characters on said top wall,

the respective characters being disposed adjacent the respective indentations and said characters being significant of successive days, whereby'an indication of the day upon which said container is opened is produced upon opening the container by puncturing said wall portion at the indentation adjacent the correct day character.

4. The container set forth in claim 3,-and comprising in addiiion, a second group oi circumferentially spaced indentations formed in said wall portion, the respective indentations of said second group being arranged substantially diametrically opposite the respective indentations of said first-named group.

5. The container set forth in claim 3,.said group of indentations being distributed over not more than 180 of said top Wail, and said container comprising in addition, a second group of circumferentially spaced indentations formed in said wall portion, the respective indentations of said second group being arranged substantially diametrically opposite the respective indentations of said first-named group.

6. A container for perishable liquids such as evaporated milk and the like, which comprises: a metallic container having top, bottom and side walls, said top wall having a deformable portion adjacent the periphery thereof adapted to be punctured for withdrawal of the liquid contents;

a group of circumferentially spaced indentations formed in said wall portion; and aplurality of spaced characters on said can, at positions adjacent the periphery of said top wall, the respective characters being disposed adjacent the respective indentations and said characters being significant of successive days, whereby an indication of the day upon which said container is opened is produced upon opening the container by puncturing said wall portion at the indentation adjacent the correct day character.

'7. The container set forth in claim ,6, and comprising in addition, a second group of circumferentially spaced indentations formed in said wall portion, the respective indentations of I said second group being arranged substantially diametrically opposite the respective indentations of said first-named group 8. The container set forth in claim 6, said group of indentations being distributed over not of circumferentially spaced indentations formed in said wall portion, the respective indentations of said second group being arranged substantially diametrically opposite the respective indentations of said first-named group.

ALFRED H. ES'I'Y. 

